USTornado alley 'about to wake up': Wall of storms threaten 18 states

Several towns in Oklahoma and Kansas were evacuated Wednesday after two barges broke loose, floated down the swollen Arkansas River, and threatened to hit a dam, authorities said. The emergency was the latest consequence of severe storms and torrential rains that have ravaged large swaths of the Midwest. Town officials ordered a mandatory evacuation Wednesday afternoon because of the Arkansas River’s rising level. Webbers Falls, one of the potentially threatened towns in Oklahoma, warned its 600 residents to evacuate “immediately.” "The barges are loose and has the potential to hit the lock and dam 16.

Tornado Alley is a colloquial term for the area of the United States where tornadoes are most frequent. The term was first used in 1952 as the title of a research project to study severe weather in areas of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, South Dakota, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado

The tornado and high wind risk is likely to extend to after dark, which will add to the danger. It is possible that a few of the tornadoes may be large Large hailstones likely to be produced during the strongest storms can cause serious injury, kill livestock and cause substantial property damage.

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Severe thunderstorms and even tornadoes will threaten almost 1 million square miles of 18 states in coming days as tumultuous spring weather sweeps the nation.

Cities in the South are bracing for tornadoes, flooding and hail as another round of storms arrives Monday

The Central and Southern Plains -- which have already been battered by pounding thunderstorms, tornadoes and hail -- are taking cover before another round of dangerous weather. require(["medianetNativeAdOnArticle"], function (medianetNativeAdOnArticle)
{
medianetNativeAdOnArticle.getMedianetNativeAds(true);
}); A "potent spring storm system" is expected to bring more thunderstorms to the region Monday, the National Weather Service said. "Large hail, damaging winds, flash flooding, and large tornadoes are possible," the weather service said.

Although Tornado Alley still remains the top U.S. area for tornadoes , areas to the east are catching up Tornado frequency is increasing in states such as Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi but The tornado was part of a wall of stormy weather traveling across the region, bringing with it rain

The Sulphur Oklahoma Tornado : Not long after the first tornado died, a second was born. This one a mile wide beast! It would cause major damage to many homes leaving only interior walls standing. A few unanchored homes, mobile homes and outbuildings would be completely leveled or swept away.

The wild weather sets in Thursday with storms across parts of South Dakota and Nebraska to Michigan and Indiana before sprawling across a wider area Friday and the weekend. More than 40 million people live in the storm zone, which will roll as far south as New Mexico and Texas.

But there is no end in sight – the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center highlighted a risk area for severe weather for eight straight days.

"Pretty sure it's the first time that all days on the day 4-8 have had contours drawn," climatologist Harold Brooks tweeted. "Product became operational in 2007."

Bodies in submerged Missouri vehicle bring storm toll to 9

The bodies of a man and a woman were discovered Friday in a submerged vehicle near the Mississippi River in Missouri, bringing the death toll to nine from storms that have ravaged the central U.S. this week and threaten major flooding through the holiday weekend. John Reinhardt, 20, and Caitlin Frangel, 19, both of Hazelwood, Missouri, were reported missing May 15. Their bodies were found around 4 a.m. on a flooded rural road that runs along the river at Portage Des Sioux, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) north of St. Louis. Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Dallas Thompson said an autopsy determined they both drowned.

Severe thunderstorms, including a few tornadoes will threaten lives and property across the "The risk of severe storms will have ended from Tennessee and Alabama to central Georgia and much of the Parts of the Southeast may face another freeze in the wake of the storm . Similar to last week

“‘ Tornado Alley ’ is just a nickname made up by the media for an area of relatively high tornado occurrence; it is not a clearly defined area. Due to the frequency of tornadoes in certain areas of the United States , building codes and warning systems have been implemented.

Alabama-based TV meteorologist also chimed in on Twitter: "Storm chasers are licking their chops… significant severe weather possible on every SPC outlook days 4-8."

Damaging storms actually flared up as early as Tuesday, when homes and businesses in Orlando, Florida, were battered by wind gusts above 55 mph.

In the West, a storm more typical of winter will bring everything from rain and thunderstorms to wind and mountain snow, AccuWeather said. The storm will make for slower-than-normal travel, ruin outdoor plans and increase the risk of flooding and damage in some communities.

"This storm will bring unusually heavy rainfall and a flooding and mudslide threat to parts of California in what is normally a dry month," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jack Boston.

In Tornado Alley , the boundary between dry, desert air and warm, moist Gulf of Mexico air is famously called the Dry Line. Although the study focuses on the increasing threat of tornado outbreaks east of the Mississippi, the study notes the southern Plains states still remain the Tornado Alley bulls-eye.

The tornado outbreak of April 14–16, 2011 was among the largest recorded tornado outbreaks in U.S. history, producing 178 confirmed tornadoes across 16 states and severe destruction on all three days of the outbreak.

Up to 5 inches of rain is possible in some areas of the West. That amount of rain is "extremely out of the ordinary" for this time of year, AccuWeather said.

In the Sierra, "total snow accumulations of 12 to 18 inches, with localized amounts up to 35 inches, are expected," the National Weather Service in Sacramento said. AccuWeather warned that "travelers through the high terrain should use extreme caution as roadways will be slippery and snow covered with lane restrictions possible."

The storm weather follows a lengthy pattern of wet weather that, along with serious flooding in the Midwest, has brought "sizeable drought relief" across the nation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported last week. Drought now covers a "near-record low" of 2% of the nation, the agency said.

A rainbow appears as a sunset cuts across a rural scene off of Rt. 91, south of Dunlap, Ill., as a storm passes in the distance. The storm generated tornado warnings across much of north central Peoria.

In this Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019 photo, Shane Francis of Guerneville, Calif., steps out of his SUV after making sure it started up after a large tree fell on it during a wind storm that tore through Sonoma County and northern California.

Jeff Dahl races down Harrison Ave. while skier Jason Dahl airs out off the final jump of the Leadville skijoring course during the annual Leadville Ski Joring & Crystal Carnival Weekend on March 3, 2019 in Leadville, Colo.

This time exposure photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department shows a series of lightning strikes over Santa Barbara, Calif., seen from Stearns Wharf in the city's harbor, Tuesday evening, March 5, 2019.

Violent tornado that hit Missouri's capital 'felt like an earthquake'.
As many were sleeping late Wednesday night, a violent tornado hit Jefferson City -- one of many bringing chaos to the central United States. "When it hit... it felt like an earthquake," Cindy Sandoval-Jakobsen said. The Jefferson City resident said she took her daughter, who is blind, and the two hid in the only room in their house with no windows. The "Wedge Tornado," one that is wider in the funnel than it is tall, was observed over Jefferson City shortly after 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday. It moved at 40 mph and sent debris 13,000 feet into the air, according to the National Weather Service.

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